Door Locking System With An Idle Handle

ABSTRACT

A door locking system with an idle handle has a door panel having a front face, a rear face, a hinged side, a free side, an upper side, a lower side, and an electronic lock and a mechanical lock installed in the door panel respectively having a keypad and a keyhole on the front face. The system further has a level toggler, at least one bolt, a chamber defined therein, a handle seat, a handle lever, a latch lever, a linking arm, a swivel pillar, a paddle shifter, an upright toggler, and an handle lever resume spring.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a door locking system with an idle handle foruse with, e.g., a safe.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventional safes usually have a handle consisting of a handle leverrevolving round a handle pin securely fixed on a door of the safe. Thehandle lever is linked to a locking mechanism provided on an innersurface of the door. The locking mechanism has a toggle plate levellymovable with respect to the door, at least one bolt connected to thetoggle plate, and a latch controlling the levelly movement of the toggleplate. A door frame having bolt receiving holes or bolt blocking bars isprovided on the safe surrounding the door. When locked, the bolts enterthe corresponding bolt receiving holes and the toggle plate is locked bythe locking mechanism. The door will not be able to be opened without akey. The locking mechanisms may be either mechanical or electrical. Inopening, when the locking mechanism is unlocked, the toggle plate may beable to levelly move. At this time, the door is able to be opened whenthe user pulls the handle lever outward. For this kind of conventionalsafe, if the locking mechanism or the toggle plate is destroyed, thedoor will be able to be opened by pulling the handle lever. Furthermore,the door might be illegally opened by forcefully pulling the handlelever to destroy the locking mechanism.

To resolve above problem, a safe with recessed handle lever is provided.The handle lever of the safe is placed in a recess defined in a door ofthe safe and basically has a height the same as a top surface of thedoor. The handle lever will not be liable to be collided in conveyanceor forcefully pulled without a legal key or knowing correct pass code.

A Chinese utility model patent ZL20072019731.4 “A Retractable HandleLever For Use With A Safe” discloses such a handle. The handle has ahandle lever and a central pin passing the handle lever and installationholes defined in a door, a support spring provided between the handlelever and the door, a notch defined in a middle of the central pin, anactive plate engagable with the notch, the active plate being hangedbehind the door by a pin passing a guiding hole, a driving memberdirectly or indirectly controlling the active plate, and a limitprovided on an rear portion of the central pin.

In operation of such handle, a user has to press the handle lever intothe door first and then lock the door in association with the activeplate additionally provided on the surface of the door. It iscomplicated and wastes time.

And though the aforementioned retractable handle is able to preventillegal break of the lock mechanism by forcefully pull the handle leverthereof to a certain extent, there is still such kind of risk since thehandle lever is nevertheless linked to the locking mechanism.

For such conventional retractable handle, the handle lever only retractsinto the door when the door is closed and the locking mechanism islocked. When the door is opened, the handle lever has to extend out fromthe door. Therefore there still is the risk that the handle lever iscollided when the door is open.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the invention is to provide a door locking systemwith an idle handle which is able to idle and not drive a toggle platewhen the door is closed and locked.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door locking system withan idle handle a handle lever thereof is able to submerge under an outersurface of a door panel thus preventing the handle from being collided.

To achieve above object, the invention provides door locking system withan idle handle having:

-   -   a door panel having a front face, a rear face, a hinged side, a        free side, an upper side, a lower side, and an electronic lock        and a mechanical lock installed in the door panel respectively        having a keypad and a keyhole on the front face,    -   a level toggler being slidable with respect to the door panel        between a hinged side limit and a free side limit and having an        L-shaped guiding groove with an upright section and a level        section,    -   at least one bolt linked to and controlled by the level toggler,    -   a chamber defined in the door panel,    -   a handle seat being received and securely fixed in the chamber        and having a recess in the front face,    -   a handle lever being received in the recess and having a hinged        end pivotally linked to the handle seat and a free end,    -   a latch lever controlled by the mechanical lock and having a        latch finger formed thereon,    -   a linking arm having one end securely fixed to the hinged end        and a free linking end,    -   a swivel pillar having a rectangular cross section and a lower        end securely fixed to the free linking end of the linking arm,    -   a paddle shifter having a top side protrusion slidably received        in the guiding groove and a bottom with a rectangular opening        slidably covering on the swivel pillar,    -   an upright toggler being slidable with respect to the door panel        between an upper side limit and a lower side limit and having a        bottom plate touching and being fixed to the bottom of the        paddle shifter and having an arc-shaped pillar opening covering        on the swivel pillar, a top opening receiving the latch finger,        and a side arm, and,    -   a handle lever resume spring fixed between the linking arm and        the door panel pulling the handle lever to press on the recess.

According to another aspect of the invention, the door locking systemwith an idle handle may further has a redundant lock is provided on therear face of the door panel. The redundant lock has a base formed on therear face of the door panel, a redundant bolt fixed to the side arm andbeing slidable with respect to the base, a redundant spring providedbetween the base and the redundant bolt, and a redundant bolt receivingopening defined in the level toggler.

It could be seen from the invention, with the user friendly operablerevolving cover, which is able to conceal or reveal the keypad of thecombination padlock, the keypad will be able to be kept from dust,pollution, and/or collisions. The aesthetic feeling of the wholecombination padlock has also been improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front flat view of a door panel of the preferred embodimentof an idle handle for use with a safe of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear flat view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of section A shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is perspective view thereof without a toggle plate.

FIG. 6 is another rear flat view thereof.

FIG. 7 is yet another flat view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upright toggler thereof.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a paddle shifter thereof.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a level toggler thereof.

FIG. 11 is partially cross-sectional front flat view of a handlethereof.

FIG. 12 is partially cross-sectional top flat view of the handlethereof.

FIG. 13 is a rear flat view of a door panel of another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view thereof.

FIG. 15 is another perspective view thereof.

FIG. 16 is yet another rear flat view thereof.

FIG. 17 is still yet another rear flat view thereof.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an upright toggler thereof.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a paddle shifter thereof. And,

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a level toggler thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Shown in FIGS. 1 through 12 is the preferred embodiment of a doorlocking system with an idle handle of the invention.

The door locking system has a door panel 1 which has a front face 100, arear face 101, a hinged side 102, a free side 103, an upper side 104, alower side 105, and an electronic lock 106 and a mechanical lock 11installed in the door panel 1 respectively having a keypad and a keyholeon the front face 100.

The door panel 1 further has a level toggler 2 being slidable withrespect to the door panel 1 between a hinged side limit and a free sidelimit and having an L-shaped guiding groove 21 with an upright section211 and a level section 212, at least one bolt 107 linked to andcontrolled by the level toggler 2, a chamber 18 defined therein, ahandle seat 5 being received and securely fixed in the chamber 18 andhaving a recess 51 in the front face 100, a handle lever 6 beingreceived in the recess 51 and having a hinged end 62 pivotally linked tothe handle seat 5 with a handle pin 61 and a free end 62, a latch lever12 controlled by the mechanical lock 11 and having a latch finger 13formed thereon, a linking arm 7 having one end securely fixed to thehinged end 62 and a free linking end, a swivel pillar 8 having arectangular cross section and a lower end securely fixed to the freelinking end of the linking arm 7, a paddle shifter 3 having a top sideprotrusion 4 slidably received in the guiding groove 21 and a bottom 31with a rectangular opening 34 slidably covering on the swivel pillar 8,an upright toggler 9 being slidable with respect to the door panel 1between an upper side limit and a lower side limit and having a bottomplate 91 touching and being fixed to the bottom 31 of the paddle shifter3 and having an arc-shaped pillar opening 92 covering on the swivelpillar 8, a top opening 94 receiving the latch finger 13, and a side arm19, and a handle lever resume spring 10 fixed between the linking arm 7and the door panel 1 pulling the handle lever 6 to press on the recess51.

In this preferred embodiment, the bottom plate 91 has an arc-shapedfixing opening 93 and the paddle shifter 3 has a bottom pillar 32extending downward through the arc-shaped fixing opening 93. The bottomplate 91 is fixed to the bottom 31 with a surrounding ring 33 and a pin34.

There might be a redundant lock provided on the rear face 101 of thedoor panel 1. The redundant lock has a base 15 formed on the rear face101 of the door panel 1, a redundant bolt 16 fixed to the side arm 19and being slidable with respect to the base 15, a redundant spring 17provided between the base 15 and the redundant bolt 16, and a redundantbolt receiving opening 22 defined in the level toggler 2.

In use, to open the door panel 1, a user is able to first enter acorrect pass code of the electronic lock 106 to release an electroniclocking to the level toggler 2. Then the user is able to insert androtate a key to unlock the mechanical lock 11. The latch lever 12, andthus the latch finger 13 formed thereon, will move upward. The upwardmoving latch finger 13, received in the top opening 94 of the uprighttoggler 9, will drive the upright toggler 9 to move upward accordingly.The paddle shifter 3 fixed with respect to the upright toggler 9 will bedriven to move upward and the side protrusion 4 will move upward toenter the upright section 211 of the L-shaped guiding groove 21. Theside arm 19 formed on the upright toggler 9 will also move upward todrive the redundant bolt 16 to move upward to leave the redundant boltreceiving opening 22 of the level toggler 2. At this time, if the userpull the handle lever 6 outward with respect to the handle seat 5 asparticularly shown in FIG. 12, the paddle shifter 3, and the sideprotrusion 4 formed thereon, will levelly move from the free side 103 tothe hinged side 102 of the door panel 1 against the handle lever resumespring 10, as particularly shown in FIG. 7. The at least one bolt 107linked to the level toggler 2 will be drawn to the hinged side 102 ofthe door panel 1 by the level toggler 2 to unlock the door panel 1.After the door is opened and the user releases the handle lever 6, thepaddle shifter 3 will be pulled to levelly move back from the hingedside 102 to the free side 103 under a restoring force from the handlelever resume spring 10. The handle lever 6 will move back into thehandle seat 5 and rest on the recess 51, without sticking out from thefront face 100 of the door panel 1.

To close and lock the door panel 1, the user is able to anti-rotate thekey. The latch lever 12, the upright toggler 2, and the redundant bolt16 will move downward. The side protrusion 4 enters the level section212 of the L-shaped guiding groove 21, the redundant bolt 16 enters theredundant bolt opening 22 of the level toggler 2, and the door panel 1is closed and locked. At this time, if the user pulls the handle lever 6outward, the side protrusion 4 will levelly move along the level section212 of the L-shaped guiding groove 21 and will not be able to drive thelevel toggler 2 to move levelly. The level toggler 2 is further lockedby the redundant bolt 16 being received in the redundant bolt opening 22and will not be able to move levelly.

Shown in FIGS. 13 through 20 is another embodiment of the door lockingsystem with an idle handle of the invention. The difference between thisand the above embodiment is that the bottom plate 91 is not fixed to thebottom 31 with the surrounding ring 33 and the pin 34 on the bottompillar 32 passing through the arc-shaped fixing opening 93. The bottomplate 91 is fixed to the bottom 31 with a biasing spring 14 providedbetween the linking arm 7 and the bottom 31 biasing the bottom 31 topress on the bottom plate 91 of the upright toggler 9. The redundantlock might also be provided for this embodiment.

In use of this embodiment, the user is able to first enter a correctpass code of the electronic lock 106 to release the electronic lockingto the level toggler 2. Then the user is able to insert and rotate thekey to unlock the mechanical lock 11. The latch lever 12 and the latchfinger 13 formed thereon will move downward. The latch finger 13,received in the top opening 94 of the upright toggler 9, will drive theupright toggler 9 to move downward accordingly. The paddle shifter 3fixed with respect to the upright toggler 9 will be driven to movedownward against the biasing spring 14 and the side protrusion 4 willmove downward to enter the upright section 211 of the L-shaped guidinggroove 21. The side arm 19 formed on the upright toggler 9 will alsomove downward to drive the redundant bolt 16 to move downward to leavethe redundant bolt receiving opening 22 of the level toggler 2. At thistime, if the user pull the handle lever 6 outward with respect to thehandle seat 5, the door panel 1 will be unlocked and able to be opened.After the door is opened and the user release the handle lever 6, thepaddle shifter 3 will be pulled to levelly move back from the hingedside 102 to the free side 103 under the restoring force from the handlelever resume spring 10.

1. A door locking system with an idle handle comprising: a door panelhaving a front face, a rear face, a hinged side, a free side, an upperside, a lower side, and an electronic lock and a mechanical lockinstalled in said door panel respectively having a keypad and a keyholeon said front face, a level toggler being slidable with respect to saiddoor panel between a hinged side limit and a free side limit and havingan L-shaped guiding groove with an upright section and a level section,at least one bolt linked to and controlled by said level toggler, achamber defined in said door panel, a handle seat being received andsecurely fixed in said chamber and having a recess in said front face, ahandle lever being received in said recess and having a hinged endpivotally linked to said handle seat and a free end, a latch levercontrolled by said mechanical lock and having a latch finger formedthereon, a linking arm having one end securely fixed to said hinged endand a free linking end, a swivel pillar having a rectangular crosssection and a lower end securely fixed to said free linking end of saidlinking arm, a paddle shifter having a top side protrusion slidablyreceived in said guiding groove and a bottom with a rectangular openingslidably covering on said swivel pillar, an upright toggler beingslidable with respect to said door panel between an upper side limit anda lower side limit and having a bottom plate touching and being fixed tosaid bottom of said paddle shifter and having an arc-shaped pillaropening covering on said swivel pillar, a top opening receiving saidlatch finger, and a side arm, and, a handle lever resume spring fixedbetween said linking arm and said door panel pulling said handle leverto press on said recess.
 2. The door locking system with an idle handleas claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom plate further has anarc-shaped fixing opening and said paddle shifter further has a bottompillar extending through said arc-shaped fixing opening, and said bottomplate is fixed to said bottom with a surrounding ring and a pin.
 3. Thedoor locking system with an idle handle as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid bottom plate is fixed to said bottom with a biasing spring providedbetween said linking arm and said bottom biasing said bottom to press onsaid bottom plate of said upright toggler.
 4. The door locking systemwith an idle handle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a redundant lock isprovided on said rear face of said door panel having a base formed onsaid rear face of said door panel, a redundant bolt fixed to said sidearm and being slidable with respect to said base, a redundant springprovided between said base and said redundant bolt, and a redundant boltreceiving opening defined in said level toggler.
 5. The door lockingsystem with an idle handle as claimed in claim 2, wherein a redundantlock is provided on said rear face of said door panel having a baseformed on said rear face of said door panel, a redundant bolt fixed tosaid side arm and being slidable with respect to said base, a redundantspring provided between said base and said redundant bolt, and aredundant bolt receiving opening defined in said level toggler.
 6. Thedoor locking system with an idle handle as claimed in claim 3, wherein aredundant lock is provided on said rear face of said door panel having abase formed on said rear face of said door panel, a redundant bolt fixedto said side arm and being slidable with respect to said base, aredundant spring provided between said base and said redundant bolt, anda redundant bolt receiving opening defined in said level toggler.